Improvement in refrigerators



Patented Dec.

I1/WMM?. W4

/4 l Wma-prefx@ J'. H. WICKE-S.

REFRIGERATOR.

.g A j n NPETERS, FHOTO-LITHOGRAFHER, WASHINGTON. Dv Cf 'ilNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES H. WICKES, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN REFRIGERATORS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 171,456, dated December 2l, 1875; application tiled November l0, 1875.

frigerators, which improvement is fully set forth in the following speciiication, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure l represents a sectional plan or top view. Fig. 2 is a vertical section in the plane :v m, Fig. l.

Similar letters indicate corresponding parts.

This invention consists in the combination, with a hermetically-closed provision-chamber, of an ice-reservoir located within said provision chamber, and an air-distributer located within said reservoir, and an air-forcing and suction apparatus connected by suitable pipes with said distributer and the interior of the provision-chamber, for the purpose of providing for a perfect circulation of air through the ice-reservoir and provision-chamber, as hereinafter more fully set forth.

In the drawing, the letter A designates a refrigerating room or provision-chamber, which is, as far as practicable, hermetically closed against the external air, and which maybe protected against the iniluence of the external temperature by double walls or other suitable means. Within thisprovision-chamber, either in the center or near 011e of its sides, is situated the ice-reservoir B, which may be either square,

circular, or polygonal in its cross-section, and which, in the example shown in the drawing,

is sloping inward slightly from the bottom to the top, but which may be made of uniform width throughout. Said reservoir is made perfectly tight to within a short distance of its bottom, where it is provided with a number of openings, a, extending around its circumference. ln theinterior of the provision-chamber A is mounted an air-forcing and suction apparatus, G, which, in the example shown in the drawing, consists of afan-blower; but, for such fan-blower, a double-acting air-pump, or any other equivalent apparatus, may be substituted. The air-discharge spout b of theapparatus C connects with a pipe, c, thatdescends beneath the false bottom of the provision-chamber, and the mouth oi' which rises up into an air-distributer, D, situated within and near the bottom of the ice-reservoir B. The suctionspout d of the apparatus C connects with a system ot pipes, e, which'are' situated in the top partof the provision-chamber, being open at their ends, so that when the airAforcing and suction apparatus is set in motion the air from the upper part ot' the provision-chamber is sucked in through the pipes e, and then forced, through the pipe c and the air-distributer D, into the bottom part ot' the ice-reservoir, where the same is cooled by coming in contact with the ice, and whence the cooled air escapes through the" openings a, into the provision-chamber. The air-distributer consists of a foraminous boX, of metal or other suitable material, which is preferably situated in the center of the ice reservoir, close to its bottom. The position of the distributer and its proximity to the bottom may, however, bev varied.

From this description it will be seen that by means of the air-forcing and suction apparatus a constant circulation of air takes place through the provision-chamber, the pi pese and c, through the air-distribu'ter, and through the bottom part of the ice -reservoir. The air which is injected into the ice-reservoir is evenly distributed by means ofthe air-distributer, and as it escapes from the air distributer it comes in intimate contact with the lower layer ot' ice in the ice-reservoir, whereby the same is cooled, and at the same time, by coming in contact with the ice, itis deprived of moisture, and of bad odors with which'the same may have become contaminated on its passage through the provision-chamber. The purified and cooled air, after having permeated the pro vision-chamber, is then sucked in bly the apparatus C and again returned to the ice-reservoir. l

i By this arrangement the air, in its passage through the icereservoir, is prevented from cutting channels through the ice, since the ice, as it melts in the bottom part of the reservoir, is immediately replaced by a fresh supply from above. rlhe condition of the air remains uniform, since it comes in contact always with an nnvarying area of ice, and no portiop of the ice is wasted, inasmuch as only a snall portion oi' ice at a time is subjected to the melting process, and that as fast as it is needed. In this respect my system resembles a baseburning stove. where the coal is most economically consumed, and the difficulty is overcome which is experienced when the current of air is passed through the ice-reservoir with a xed inlet and outlet, said difficulty being that the air cuts a passage through the ice, through which it passes withoutbeing cooled to any great extent. The sloping ofthe sides inward of the ice-chamber is to prevent the icev from bridging or becoming wedged in its movement downward. The ice-reservoir is provided with a closelyiitting cover, through which the ice can be introduced, or, it' said reservoir is situated close to one side of the provision-chamber, it may be charged by means of a chute. In filling, no pieces of ice should be put in of greater thickness than about one-fifth the diameter of the ice-reservoir.

If the ice-reservoir is located in the center of the provision-chamber, said chamber may be divided in dii'erent compartments, separated by par titions converging toward the center, and one column ofice can thus be used for refrigerating several separate rooms. The thoroughness with which the ice absorbs all impurities by this system of contact with air makes it possible to have the air from iishlrooms, meat-rooms, and fruit-rooms all commingled in the same ice-box, without carrying back any odor in its return.

The airforcing and suction apparatus C, instead of being situated outside the ice-reservoir, might be placed beneath the air-distribu-- ter D, in which case it would be made in the' Win56 It is obvious that my base-meltingsystem is applicable to refrigerator-cars as well as to refrigerator-rooms.

I do not claim as my invention an inlet-pipe 'taking air from the upper part of the closed chamber with a forcing apparatus and an icereservoir having an outlet or outlets at its bottom, for drawing air from the top of the closed chamber and forcing it through the ice and out at the bottom of the ice-chamber.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The combination of the hermetically-closed chamber A, icereservoir B, communicating with the same and located within it, the airdistributer D within said ice-reservoir, and the tubes c and c, leading from the fan C, and communicating, respectively, with theice-reservoir and provision chamber, substantially as described. A

In testimony thatIclaim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand and seal this 5th day of November, 1875.

JAMES H. WIGKES. [L s] Witnesses:

W. HAUFF, E. F. KAsTENHUBER. 

